Welcome back to Blackberry House Day Nursery Newsletter! In our monthly issues we will be letting you know of the achievements and beautiful learning opportunities that children engaged in that month from across our four settings. We will also be providing you with two articles that will keep you informed within the sector and might even provide some helpful information! In this month’s issue we have covered the importance of Reading Books and Story Telling in Early Years, as well as FAQ on Dummies.
Thank you for your continued support and enjoy reading!
January 2025
After a restful Christmas break, we welcomed back all our children in a brand-new month and brand new year! We hope everybody had a lovely time off that your Christmas and the New Year celebrations were full of beautiful memories.
During this month, all our settings focusing on getting back into our routine and providing lots of Winter related activities. Children were exploring the weather outside as well as some winter themed messy and sensory play indoors. We looked at winter themed books, animals, and the changing environment around us.
As we then explored our next theme, we started learning all about different professions and jobs that our parents and loved ones do. Children absolutely loved exploring the local area and learning about the different roles people have. Our settings also explored our teeth and learnt about the right hygiene, as well as role play in our doctor’s surgeries!
Under 3's
Our under 3’s continued to explore the changing weather and environment around us. As we explored our Winter theme in our youngest rooms, the children were able to explore some arctic sensory plays that involved playing in pretend snow! During the first few weeks of the month, we also looked at supporting our friends to settle in as they start their nursery journey with us. We continued to explore the different textures of various types of play, but our favourite one was most certainly our hot chocolate sensory play! The children loved getting animals and toys covered in pretend mud as they used their senses to smell and touch it!
Our babies and lower toddlers continued to work on their physical development as we participated in soft play activities. The children loved being active and having fun with new friends! We also continued to explore our beautiful baby and toddler gardens in our settings as the children engaged in some lovely book reading sessions and physical development play.
Throughout the entire month, the babies and lower toddlers most enjoyed exploring with their whole bodies as some of our settings engaged in painting with their feet! What fun!
Over 3's
Our older children also continued to explore the outdoor environment with the ever-changing weather! We explored our forest school and our gardens that were presenting us with a lot of fun activities including jumping in puddles and exploring some ice. The children loved using tools to break through the ice and observe how it melts in their hands!
Our older toddlers and preschoolers also engaged in some doctor’s role play as they learnt to look after babies, look aft er their own teeth and learnt about X-Rays and germs! We also explored different sensory play as our children practiced their maths skills by emptying and filling bowls and cups with different types of sensory play. The children enjoyed participating in building activities as we built various creations using different resources. Our children continued to engage in our speech and language sessions to further support a d develop their communication skills and build on their experiences too. Our Preschool children also participated in our Chinese New Year celebrations as we learnt all about a new culture!
Links to Development Matters
Why is Book Reading and Story Reading important in Early Years?
Literacy in children starts from an early age. Reading and writing are the fundamentals of early education allowing for a new vocabulary and skills to develop, that are vital in our adult life. Reading to our children stimulates the children’s brain cells and strengthens them connecting with other cells. Stimulating children’s brain through reading allows them to develop their listening and communicating skills and create a foundation for the love of learning.
According to studies, introducing book reading at an early age, improves and supports children’s general knowledge and effects their attention span and concentration. Introducing as little as one story a day allows children to work on their understanding and self-confidence. Story telling is as effective as it very often leads to role-play which then encourages and supports problem-solving, empathy, morality, creativity and curiosity.
Further studies are also proving that reading to our children from an early age improves and supports their academic success in their later education. The above benefits of reading also support natural communication and cognitive development which also contribute to the later success in school.
How can we support early reading?
At Blackberries, we recognise the importance of early reading and ensure these opportunities are presented to our children at all times. In all of our settings, we have multiple reading areas as well as activities throughout the day that encourage the love for reading from as early as possible. Our children are also presented with multiple opportunities in the room as they work on word exploration and recognition.
At home time, we encourage our parents to use our Libraries as often as they can, to further support and extend the early reading opportunities. Our Libraries also support children’s learning and development as they use these opportunities to then share at home and share at nursery, further supporting the experience and the transition of home-to-nursery.
At home, we encourage parents to make reading as fun as possible. Don’t be afraid to be silly and play characters when reading stories! Children will love to see you be so involved, and will hopefully mirror your interaction the next time they do it! Providing themed books based on the children’s interest is always a guaranteed way to encourage early reading. Creating a reading corner or an area for children to use when reading is also another way to encourage and support their early love for reading.
If you are in need of support to encourage early reading in your children, please let us know and your setting will be able to support you. Please also feel free to explore our libraries and ask staff to find out more about other ways you can get involved in!
FAQ – Dummies
Should my baby have a dummy?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. The choice and the decision is always down to personal choice and preference of the parents and based on the needs of the child.
Why do babies like dummies?
Dummies resemble the breast and allow babies to be comforted when needed. Babies will start to show their sucking reflex in their first weeks of their life, it’s their natural reflex that is also satisfied by breastfeeding. Those that are not breastfed will seek to satisfy their need in other ways, which is where and when dummies can be introduced.
When to start giving babies dummies?
Dummies are associated with a shorter duration of exclusive breastfeeding therefore are not recommended in the first weeks after birth as introducing both can create a sucking confusion. Once breastfeeding is established, dummies can then be introduced and used for soothing purposes.
Those babies that are bottle-fed can be offered a dummy from birth.
What are the benefits of dummies?
Studies have suggested a positive link between dummies and preventing SIDS, however no studies have confirmed this. Experts do not specifically recommend dummies for these purposes but suggest instead that dummies might prevent babies from rolling onto their front and being more still at night therefore less likely to become covered by blankets. Parents will also be encouraged to check on their babies more frequently if their baby has a dummy and sucking a dummy may also keep babies’ tongue forward.
What are the disadvantages of dummies?
Although using a dummy can be convenient and helpful, dummies can decrease how long and how often babies are breastfed for. They might also transport bacteria which can lead to infections, particularly middle ear infection. Some studies also suggest and report episodes of coughs, wheezing, earache and diarrhoea. Babies and toddlers also might be discouraged from communicating with others due to the need of the dummy to be taken out to speak, this can cause delays in speech. Allowing children to have a dummy for longer than needed might lead to changes in tongue movements and might have an impact on sound formation later on.
How are dummies bad for my child’s teeth?
Some studies are suggesting that using dummies for a long time may affect children’s teeth and how they grow. This can then have a negative effect on children’s communication.
What dummy is best for my child?
Dummies should be chosen based on the needs of your child and the safety of them. Always check if they are appropriate for your baby/child’s age. The safest ones are those that cannot be broken into parts (potential choking hazard), have an appropriate grip (in case of the need to pull it out), have two air holes, and are appropriately sized (to prevent the child putting the whole dummy in their mouth). Dummies should be often sterilised without damaging, therefore if any damage occurred the dummy is no longer safe. If you are bottle-feeding, try using the same brand to provide a similar teat.
Any tips?
Ensure you have a few dummies in case you need to provide one to the nursery, or one gets lost. We ask that you provide us with at least 2, in case one gets damaged, forgotten or lost. All dummies are correctly cleaned and kept whilst at Blackberries with a clear label on the dummy box, preventing any other children being given wrong ones.
Can I use dummy chains?
These are a good and handy way to keep the dummy on the child, however always check that they are safe and appropriate for your child. We do not recommend any chains with beads as these can easily break causing a potential choking hazard.
How to stop dummies?
Please remember that every child is different and you may need to try different strategies to success. Studies suggest that allowing children to gradually wean off their dummy by reducing the times they have it is more likely to result in success. Some parents however choose to simply remove it completely to prevent any confusion. General tips include offering other comforters in place of dummies, encouraging children to be involved the process by explaining what is happening, and prepare them, asking them to give their dummies away to Fairies or Santa, use stickers to highlight how well the child is doing, but most importantly sticking to the change. Consistency is key.
When to stop dummies?
According to the NHS, it is best to wean babies off the dummy when they are about 6-12 months old. This is the stage when babies start babbling. To ensure the children’s communication is not restricted or discouraged, it is recommended children should stop using the dummy before their 1st birthday. Please keep in mind that every child is different, and this decision should be based on your child’s development and needs.
If you require further support, please do not hesitate to ask your setting or alternatively look into further information online.
Helpful websites:
Dummies and weaning: How and when to stop dummy use – BBC Tiny Happy People
Dummies: advantages, disadvantages & tips | Raising Children Network
